BusyGalTips Favorite Veggie Recipes

These are some veggie recipe faves that I make often. The quinoa recipes are great to make in large batches and eat throughout the week for lunch at work! Many of these recipes are from cooktj.com, my favorite recipe web sites! The others I discovered through Pinterest.  Bon appetit! ;)

California sandwich
http://www.ezrapoundcake.com/archives/16580

Lemon orzo salad with asparagus & tomatoes:
http://www.abigmouthful.com/lemon-orzo-salad-with-asparagus-and-tomatoes/

Quinoa salad with roasted beets & baby spinach:
http://www.thedailymeal.com/quinoa-salad-roasted-beets-chickpeas-baby-spinach-and-orange-recipe

Addictive vegetarian tacos
http://cooktj.com/content/addictive-vegetarian-tacos

Grilled veggie sandwich with lemon garlic sauce (really fast and easy!):
http://cooktj.com/grilled-veggie-sandwich-lemon-garlic-sauce

Quinoa salad with apples, walnuts, cranberries, & Gouda:
http://cooktj.com/quinoa-salad-apples-walnuts-dried-cranberries-and-gouda

Tamale bake:
http://cooktj.com/tamale-bake

Sweet potato chili (I make this in the Crockpot overnight):
http://cooktj.com/sweet-potato-chili

Indian spinach pizza (fast!):
http://cooktj.com/indian-spinach-pizza

Thai yellow curry vegetables:
http://cooktj.com/thai-yellow-curry-vegetables

Soy chorizo vegetarian chili:
http://cooktj.com/chorizo-chili

Avocado and Grilled Corn Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette (save yourself time: trader Joe's sells frozen grilled corn):
http://authenticsuburbangourmet.blogspot.com/2011/05/avocado-and-grilled-corn-salad-with.html?m=1

Have any healthy veggie recipes you love? I'd love to hear them!

{Image courtesy: zoskinhealth.com}

Busygals in the Kitchen: On the Menu This Week at BGT...

I thought I would share with y'all a typical week's menu in the BGT kitchen. 


You may remember some inspiration I received from Clare. True to my word, I have been planning out menus from Cooking With Trader Joe's incredible web site since January, and the benefits have been multi-faceted: we've been saving TONS of money, I've totally improved my cooking skills, we eat healthier, and we eat home-cooked meals that are filled with many organic veggies and fruits.


Here's a sample from this week (by the way, all the ingredients shown in this photo were $67. That's 5 meals-worth of food for two people, plus fruit and drinks, and 2 pre-made salad lunches, plus plenty of leftovers! I did have some of the ingredients already for the recipes below, which is why they're not in the photo. This is drastically less money than we used to spend on food when we were going out to meals pretty much 7 days per week).

Image courtesy of Busygaltips

Here's what's on the menu this week, taken straight from my grocery list at Cooking With Trader Joe's:

Image courtesy of cooktj.com

• Oven Roasted Potatoes

  • 1 (24-oz) bag Baby Red Potatoes (about 9-10 potatoes)
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 2 cubes frozen Crushed Garlic, or 2 cloves garlic, minced.
  • 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary or 2 tsp dried rosemary
• Tamale Bake

  • 2 (18 oz) tubes cooked polenta, sliced into 1/3" rounds
  • 1 pkg Soy Chorizo, removed from encasing, or substitute 1 lb meat cooked in Taco Seasoning
  • 2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained
  • 3 zucchini squash, sliced
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
  • 1/2 cup Enchilada Sauce
  • 1/4 cup cilantro
  • Sour cream as garnish (optional)
  • I'm adding sliced Crimini Mushrooms to this recipe
  • This recipe is a favorite in our house!
• Indian Spinach Pizza

  • 2 pieces of frozen Tandoori Naan, plain
  • 3-4 Tbsp Masala Simmer Sauce or other curry sauce
  • 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained (squeeze the water out with your hands)
  • 2 Tbsp fresh Ricotta
  • 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
  • I've never made this...we'll see how it is!
• No-Prep Veggie Lasagna

  • 1/2 (16-oz) box No Boil Lasagna Noodles
  • 2 jars Tomato Basil Marinara (26 oz each)
  • 1 (14-oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (optional)
  • 1 bag frozen Misto all Griglia (grilled eggplant & zucchini), thawed
  • 3 cups shredded mozzarella
  • 1 (15-oz) container Fresh Ricotta or Fat Free Ricotta
  • 1 (16-oz) bag frozen chopped spinach, thawed
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan or grated Pecorino Romano
  • Basil or Italian parsley for garnish (optional)
  • I'm adding sliced Crimini Mushrooms to this recipe
• Spinach Pesto Pasta Salad

  • 1 bag (16 oz) fusilli pasta (I used Brown Rice Pasta for this one)
  • 1 7-oz container of refrigerated Genova Pesto
  • 1/2 bag of baby spinach (3 oz)
  • 1 16-oz container heirloom cherry tomato mix
  • 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
  • 1 container Ciliegine (fresh mozzarella balls), drained
  • Blarg...I forgot the fusili pasta!!! Someone want to pick some up for me? ;)

  
  

  So there you have it...a typical weekly menu in the BGT kitchen. If you haven't been using cooktj.com, or the menu planning idea, I highly recommend it! It's a time and money saver in our house!!!

Busygals In the Kitchen - Vidalia Chop Wizard

Yes...I am shamelessly advocating an "As-Seen-On-TV" item. 

Image courtesy of e-stealth.com

I know the commercials can be cheesy, but the Vidalia Chop Wizard ROCKS! 

Sidenote: don't you love how the demo of the person doing something in a conventional manner is always seemingly completely inept at said task? Check out the link to the Vidalia Chop Wizard, you'll see what I mean :).

Image courtesy of giftshomewares.com

Okay, all joking aside, this thing is AWESOME! I kept seeing it at Bed, Bath & Beyond, and even though it was $20 (remember, I'm cheap frugal), it seemed like a good investment. I am glad I trusted my gut, because it has been SUCH a time-saver in the kitchen! I'm probably the slowest chopper on the face of this planet, and recipes that say meal prep takes 5 minutes takes me about a half hour - really, I wish I were exaggerating, but sadly, I'm not. With the Chop Wizard (and my handy dandy Garlic Zoom - you can see my post about that baby right here), it truly does take me the time that a recipe allots. 

Image courtesy of vegetablesonwheels.com

And chopping onions...forget it. I look like I've just heard the worst news in the world after making one slice into an onion...my eyes are like a faucet, tears streaming down my face! Not so much with this little contraption! The chopped onions go straight into a container below, and the effect of the onions on my eyes is minimal compared to regular old knife-chopping. 


I truly think this is a worthy investment, and it has been very helpful to me. I hope it helps you out as well!


Do you have any kitchen gadgets you can't live without? I'd love to hear about them!!!


Happy chopping, Busygals!

Busygals get SPICY! 99¢ Only Store Spices

Isn't it annoying when you only need a teaspoon of a spice for a recipe and it costs $5? 

If you know anything about me by now, you know that I LOVE a good deal and saving money (some would say I'm frugal...I say I don't like getting ripped off and taken advantage of ;)...tomato, tomahto...)

Anyway, once again, the 99¢ Only store's got your back! They offer many spices for...you guessed it...99¢! While they don't have every spice in the store, they do have quite a good selection! Next time you're there, check it out and save a few bucks!

Busygals in the Kitchen - Oxo Good Grips Soap Squirting Palm Brush

Fun fact about this Busygal: I am a total sponge-a-phobe (I don't think that's a technical mental health term, but just go with it people...). I hate touching sponges, they gross me out. 


I discovered the Oxo Good Grips Soap Squirting Palm Brush while at Ashley and Ryan's house (two of the most GRACIOUS and natural hosts you will ever meet in your entire life) for one of their many wonderful social gatherings. 


At the end of a laughter-filled night, I was helping with some dishes, and I picked up the Oxo Good Grips Soap Squirting Palm Brush in their sink. I was very impressed! 

Photo courtesy of www.digitaloffice.ca5

At home I use one of these, which is great, but sometimes it's hard to get into nooks & crannies with it, and junk can get stuck all over it and it can get ruined pretty quick. 

Photo courtesy of www.bedbathandbeyond.com

This baby keeps my hands away from the nasty scrubbing part, but gets into all those hard-to-reach spots, and gunk doesn't stick to it as easily. The top of it has this cool little button you can push that allows you to squirt some more soap onto the dish you're scrubbing for extra sudsing action! This thing has been a great addition to my kitchen for scrubbing dishes, and I'm sure you'll love it too!


You can find it at Bed Bath and Beyond.


Happy cooking and cleaning, Busygals!

BusyGals in the Kitchen: Quick Tips

Thanks to RealSimpleFood on Twitter, here's a couple of quick and easy tricks to make your life easier in the kitchen:

Use a lemon to lift stains from cutting boards. Rub on the board, juice sit for 20 mins, then rinse. 

Thaw fish in a broad shallow bowl of milk in the fridge for 24 hours to reduce frost-bitten taste.  

 

Busygals in the Kitchen - Cooking With Trader Joe's

My husband and I have recently been assessing why we aren't saving money every month, when we clearly should be. Upon a quick look at our credit card statements, the answer is clear: We go out to meals ALL the time. A HUGE cost. The new plan? Start cooking at home. Simple, right? Ha!


I'm a Busygal by nature, and my husband is no different (he should have a blog called BusyGuyTips or something ;) ). He has a very busy and long day at work, and many of his lunch meals are also eaten at restaurants. We often find it easier to spend quality time in the the few hours we do have together in the evenings dining together, and not worrying about prepping/cooking/cleaning (I know...it's ridiculous...we're spoiled). However, our bank account doesn't like it so much. 


Since we want to save money, the new plan is to try to make as many meals at home for dinner and to make as many meals to take to work as well.


I have been on a tireless search for the perfect and most simple way to plan meals. Today I found it through a tweet from cookingwithTJ: "cookingwithTJ Trader Joe's Recipes Grilled Veggie Sandwich with Lemon Garlic Sauce, delicious & quick to make using #traderjoes Misto Alla Griglia.http://bit.ly/hCNujW"

This recipe sounded amazing, I was intrigued...I had to try it out for myself! I went straight to TJ's, and bought all of the ingredients, which totaled only $10 for 4 servings. I am no chef, but this thing was so dang quick and easy to make (5 minutes total), and the resulting sandwich tasted like a restaurant-quality meal (this sandwich would be at least $10-$15 in a restaurant we would usually frequent). It was DELICIOUS! And affordable!!! I was hooked.

When I got home, I checked their facebook fan page (which you can find here). With fingers crossed, I hoped I might find a link to a blog or web site with a few more recipes I could try out. I was MORE than pleasantly surprised to find not only the web site (which you can find here), but also HUNDREDS of amazing recipes!

Wait...I'm not even at the good part yet!!

The authors of cooktj.com (and also The Cooking with Trader Joe's Cookbook: Dinner's Done!, The Trader Joe's Companion: A Portable Cookbook, and Cooking With All Things Trader Joe's) Deana Gunn & Wona Miniati offer some fantastic features on their web site. 

*First, there's easy-to-use tabs on the left in which you can view recipes by Category, Special Diet, or Main Ingredient. I'm vegetarian, so I found that tab incredibly helpful.

*Second, you can create your own profile on the web site. Why is this so cool? Because when you view any recipe and you like it, you can simply click on either "Save" or "Add to Grocery List." It will save it straight to your profile so that when you return to the web site, your favorites are right there waiting for you! 

  

The reason I find this so incredibly helpful, is that because I am a Busygal, I often find myself parked in the TJ's parking lot, searching on my phone for some great recipe to make that evening. This web site will be a lifesaver! 


I have added 66 recipes to my Grocery List. If I plan ahead a little (hey, we can all set goals, right?), I am going to look through the recipes, find some that have similar ingredients, and create a menu (a-la-Clare) for the week. This will save me time, money, and wasted/un-used groceries. 

     

I will simply be able to click on the web site, log into my profile, and all of the shopping lists will be right there! Sweeeeeeet! :)

If you are a lover of Trader Joe's like I am, this web site will be incredibly helpful for you!

Happy cooking, Busygals!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5